


Branches

by Sundropqueen



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Gen, Other, angst maybe?, i don't even know honestly, yeah angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:46:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sundropqueen/pseuds/Sundropqueen
Summary: A bunch of unconnected drabbles and short stories about the families in Tangled/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. *Spoilers for the third season* Basically I really like family dynamics and I wanted to write about them.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 81





	1. How long has it been?

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter:  
> Character focus: Varian and Quirin  
> Plot: Quirin wakes up from the amber and slowly starts to realize how much has changed.

The first thing that registers is sound. A low, humming that his muddled brain eventually places as music.

Someone is singing.

‘Wither and decay’

The words are familiar but he can’t place where he’s heard them before. It’s monotonous and thick, as if the person singing them is singing them without thought, without a voice of their own.

‘End this destiny’

Then another voice breaks through the fog. 

“Wake up!” It’s young and panicked and painfully familiar. It almost makes him open his eyes which are far too heavy. 

Quirin decides to focus on one thing at a time. Remembering where he is is his top priority. 

The noises disappear as he mentally puts the scattered pieces back together. 

Where is he?

It’s hot. The air is thick. It’s hard to breathe. He feels like he’s floating- no -sinking. The singing has stopped. 

An image suddenly flashes through his mind, orange flames encasing him, Varian running away, out into the cold- and it slowly starts to come back to him. Varian!

Quirin clutches his aching head. He looks up. 

“Dad! Dad, you’re alive!” Varian trips over himself and falls into Quirin’s arms and the last piece slides into place. 

The black rocks. The storm.

The amber.  
Varian is crying now and asking about the note which has, fortunately, melted with the rest of the amber. 

“All it said,” He replies, “is that I’m so proud of you, Varian.” It’s not a lie, it’s just not a total truth. He remembers every word- about his past, the brotherhood, everything- To him it’s only been minutes since he’d written them. (He silently wonders how long it’s been for Varian. Hours? Days?) 

He’s still getting used to being back. Legs are too weak and numb that Varian has to support him on their way to the kitchen. (He nearly falls over seeing that the princess has been here the whole time and presumably the cause of the singing he’d heard earlier.) 

Varian is rambling and scrambling about the kitchen mumbling, “I’m sure there’s still something edible in here,” as he searches through the pantry. That’s a little concerning since it was full last time he checked. (Just how long had Varian been alone?) 

And the lack of edible food isn’t the only thing that goes unnoticed, it’s also the broken floorboards and missing bricks in the wall and coats of dust covering every surface. (Varian has to quickly wipe off a chair with an apron so that Quirin can sit down. He wipes off another one for Princess Rapunzel.) 

“Uh.. Just hold on, give me just a sec…” Varian continues to scramble around and Ruddiger emerges from the shadows to join him. Quirin watches him quietly and that’s when he notices it.

Varian has grown. He’s still nervous and flustered (perhaps now more than usual) but he’s taller, his hair is even longer. It’s a huge shock to him since it seems like only an hour or two since he’s seen him last and the changes that might have been subtle are now huge and blaring. 

Quirin is hungry but seeing Varian becoming increasingly more upset makes him put his fruitless searching to an end. 

“Varian.” He says, trying to break the teenager out of his rambling.

“I didn’t even think to clean or to get food or...” He glances at the hole in the floor. “I can run to the market real quick and get us something if you’ll just wait a sec -oh! Ruddiger, watch out!” Varian stumbles around the small animal and makes his way to the door. 

“Varian. Son.” Quirin tries again.

“Oh, Rapunzel! I forgot you were here, do you want anything specific? I can make some ham sandwiches…”

The princess smiles warmly. “That sounds great but Varian I think you’re dad is trying to-” Varian seems to be purposefully tuning him out for some reason and continues making his way to the door. His hands are shaking. 

“Varian, Wait!.” Varian freezes at the yell. Quirin hates yelling. But he needs to know. 

“Y-yeah, Dad?” The room is tense. Quirin takes a breath. 

“How long was I trapped in the amber?”

Varian’s eyes are wide now and his whole body tense. He flashes a look at Rapunzel who gives him a nod. Varian scratches his arm, refusing to make eye contact. 

“N-not long.”

“Varian. “ The princess coaxes, voice low but kind. Varian hesitates.

“A year.” He mumbles. It takes a second for his words to register, and even then they seem unreal and frozen in time. Varian must see the stricken look on his face because he quickly tries to amend his statement. “But that’s really not a long time if you think about it. I mean, aren’t you always saying how fast the year flies? And we’re all fine now so I really don’t see any reason to dwell on the past.” He gives an awkward chuckle. Quirin doesn’t even have to see the look on Princess Rapunzel’s face to know his son is keeping something from him. 

“Have you been here all this time?” He asks, hoping he’s wrong. 

“Uh, no, actually, technically I’ve been in the castle.” Another glance at Rapunzel, who remains silent. 

That’s at least a little better. If he’s been at the castle then he’s been eating, or at least, given food to eat, which makes Quirin feel slightly more at ease. Slightly. 

He takes in the damage again, creating a mental list in his mind. 

“Tell me what happened.” He says, It's stern and there’s no arguing with it and Varian knows this. He shifts from foot to foot, looking anywhere but Quirin’s face. 

Finally, after a soft “It’s okay,” from Rapunzel, Varian gives up. His voice goes low. It’s full of shame and regret and he says the words with quiet acceptance. 

“Dad, I...I messed up.”


	2. It Starts With A Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character Focus: Rapunzel and Queen Arianna  
> Plot: Rapunzel and Arianna slowly work through Rapunzel's trauma.  
> Warnings: Trauma, Mentions of death and blood.

**It starts with a question.**

Rapunzel really shouldn’t have been so surprised when she was called into the throne room that day, one whole day after leaving the tower. She’d been too vague; hiding behind too many cheerful smiles. 

_ I’m not hiding from anything.  _ Rapunzel tried to convince herself.  _ It’s over now. I can move on.  _

She plastered on another smile as she looked up at the king and king- her parents- sitting high on their thrones. The queen- her mot- the queen smiled back at her, with kindness so honestly laid out across her face it made Rapunzel falter. 

The king- her father, sat with his crowned head high even as his hands knit together anxiously. Next to him, standing straight, was the Captain of the Guard.    
  


Rapunzel’s stomach flipped without her wanting it to. Eugene was just outside the door, waiting for her. He wasn’t allowed in the throne room yet, as per the king’s request, despite how nervous his absence made her.

_ Nope. Not nervous. There was nothing to be nervous about. _

Rapunzel broke the silence. “You called for me?”

Her Father nodded, smile tight. “Yes…” He cleared his throat. “Rapunzel.” He paused after the name, as if still testing it out. “There’s just a question we need to ask you.”

Her hands shouldn’t have been shaking. These were her parents, she could answer any question they throw at her. She’s got this, she was just overreacting, really.

“It’s for the safety of the kingdom that I have to ask…”

Rapunzel focused on the soft weight of Pascal on her shoulder. The King glanced at his wife and she continued for him.

“You don’t have to give us details if you don’t want to,” She soothed. Her Father nodded. 

“Right. We’ll take this at your pace, of course, we just need to know… the woman who took you…” He glanced at the captain, “We need to know if she’s still a threat.”

_ The walls are caving in on her, smothering her. Her head is suddenly too light on her shoulders. She hears Mother scream. _

“Rapu-”

“No.” Rapunzel cut him off, surprised at how strong her voice sounded. Pascal laid a small hand on her face. “No, she’s not a threat.” The relief on all three of their faces was insurmountable. Rapunzel quickly hid her shaking hands behind her back before any of them could see. “Is that all?”

“Yes.” The Queen said, smiling. “Thank you, Rapunzel.” 

Rapunzel’s own words played over in her head as she fled the throne room. 

_ “She’s not a threat.” Gothel is not a threat anymore. Gothel’s dead.  _

So how come Rapunzel couldn’t quite let herself believe that?

  
  
  


**It continues with nightmares.**

_ She’s trapped and the walls are closing in on her. There’s blood on the floor, blood on her hands. Someone screams, shrill and terrified. It starts as Mother’s voice before quickly molding into her own- _

Rapunzel woke up screaming. 

She didn’t know where she was.

The bed beneath her was too soft. This room smelled nothing like her own. It smelled too new, dovoid of the comforting smell of wet paint coating the walls. 

Pascal was next to her in a second, leaping down from his spot on the banister. It only takes a familiar face for Rapunzel to remember everything. 

A choked cry escaped her mouth and she quickly covered it up with her hands.

The door slammed open. 

Rapunzel’s heart beat against her ribcage and she fully expected to see Gothel standing in the doorway, coming to lock her away again.

The figure was not Gothel, but a scared guard, halberd swinging left and right searching for a threat that wasn’t there. His frantic eyes scanned the room. 

Rapunzel scrubbed at the fresh tears on her cheeks and sat up straighter. “I’m okay,” She fumbled, hoping her voice sounded convincing enough. The Guard’s eyes darted towards her. She tried to laugh it off. “Just a nightmare.” 

An uncomfortable silence filled the air and Rapunzel prayed he’ll just leave her alone. “Really, I’m okay,” She repeated, even throwing in a smile. 

The guard (for the life of her she couldn’t remember his name... Parker?) glanced at the door nervously, halbert falling to his side. 

“A-alright. If that’s-”

Running footsteps echoed down the large hallways and suddenly the Queen was standing in the doorway, out of breath and dressed in a nightgown. “Rapunzel,” She said in a short, panicked breath. 

They made eye contact and suddenly the queen was right there, arms wrapping around her shoulders.

The guard quietly slipped out the door. 

“I thought you were-” The queen cut herself off, breath catching. “What happened.” She held Rapunzel protectively, looking around the room much like the guard had. 

Rapunzel tensed at the sudden contact. 

“Sorry,” She apologized. “It was just a nightmare.” Instead of the relief Rapunzel expected to see, the Queen’s face crumbled. 

Whenever she used to have a nightmare at the tower, usually about the outside world, Gothel would chide her and tell her to go back to bed. 

The Queen pulled her closer. “Do you want to talk about it?” She whispered. It took a minute for this to process. Rapunzel shook her head. 

“No, I’m okay, really. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“I was already awake.” The Queen confessed. Rapunzel looked up at her in confusion. “I haven’t been able to sleep well since, well, since that night.” The queen- Arianna- leaned her head against Rapunzel’s. “I.. I don’t want to push, Rapunzel. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I’ve.. had trouble opening up as well. I just don’t want you to feel alone.”

Rapunzel blinked away the tears in her eyes. This past week had been so chaotic, between the dances and dinners- Rapunzel barely had any time to learn more about her parents.

“Thank you.” Is all she can say. The thought of telling Arianna everything had crossed her mind more than once this week, but she just… can’t. She can’t even admit it to herself. The King and Queen are her parents- supposed to be the two people she can trust the most. But after… everything… It’s hard for Rapunzel to see Arianna as anyone other than a stranger. And that  _ hurts _ . It hurts so much because she wants to move past this,  _ Her _ , and live happily ever after and she just. Can’t. 

Why can’t she just forget about her?

Arianna seems to notice Rapunzel’s hands start to shake because she quickly moves away and holds them in her own. 

Rapunzel pulls away and immediately regrets it. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. Arianna just smiled sadly. She gently brushed away a stray tear from Rapunzel’s cheek.

“You don’t need to apologize.” The queen stood up, and for a pained minute Rapunzel thought she was leaving, until she pulled a nearby armchair beside the bed. 

Panic turned to guilt as Rapunzel quickly tried to amend her mistake. “You don’t have to stay here, I don’t want to keep you awake.” She tried to make herself look more put together. “Really, I’m fin-”

“I’m not.” Rapunzel froze. Arianna sat down, smoothing her dress out in front of her. “I had a nightmare too. I dreamt that you were taken again, and there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening.” She took a deep breath. “I completely understand If you need some privacy- I will leave right now if that’s the case.” She let it hang in the air for a minute before continuing. “But.. If it’s not.. I would feel awful leaving you here to deal with this alone.” 

Rapunzel went silent, processing this. It’s not that she couldn’t handle being alone, in fact, just a minute ago it was all she wanted. But now…

“Thank you.” Rapunzel whispered, looking down at her hands.

“Of course.” 

“I- I don’t mean to be so vague I just.” Arianna intercepted her.

“Rapunzel, I understand. It’s alright.”

Rapunzel sunk deeper into the pillows, taking a deep breath. “Thank you,” she repeated. Arianna nodded, smiling.

She couldn't talk about it now but took comfort in the fact that when she could, Arianna would be there to listen. 

  
  


**It ends with a grave.**

Rapunzel slipped up one day. She called Gothel ‘Mother.’

It was such a dumb thing too. Arianna and her were just talking in the garden, having tea (something that had become a habit over the past few weeks) when it happened. 

As soon as the words left her mouth Rapunzel apologized, berating herself. 

_ She wasn’t your mother, your mother is standing right in front of you. Why did you call her mother? _

Arianna froze, jaw tightening. 

“I’m so sorry!” Rapunzel said, hands stretched out in front of her in a panic. “I didn’t mean to call her that, I know she isn’t- wasn’t my mother, I don’t know why I keep-” Stupid. She and Arianna were finally having an open conversation about this and she just ruined everything by calling that  _ person  _ Mother. 

The hands on her shoulders made Rapunzel jump. Arianna had set down her tea and now looked back at her with sad eyes. Her next words held none of the malace Rapunzel expected. 

“You don’t need to apologize, Rapunzel.” She said. The weight of Arianna’s hands on her shoulders slowly started to ground Rapunzel back to reality. Arianna took a breath. “It’s how you saw her; how she made you see her. You never have to apologize for what that woman did.” 

Rapunzel knew this. She  _ knew _ this. But it didn’t seem to make her feel any better. 

It had been nearly a month since she returned, she shouldn’t have still been slipping up like this. Usually, she could push it all to the back of her mind and forget that it ever happened, but sometimes it just snuck up on her like this- one stupid word and she was back in that tower, like she never left. 

“I don’t know why I keep thinking about her.” Rapunzel mumbled, more to herself than to Arianna. 

Arianna didn’t push. She put a gentle hand on Rapunzel’s cheek, frown etched deep into her face. 

“Because you loved her,” She said, so matter-of-fact that Rapunzel’s head ached. Rapunzel clenched her fists, trying to deny it. 

“I _ don’t _ love her. She was horrible to me. She lied to me every day of my life and locked me in a tower! She wouldn’t even let me go outside! I h- I hate her!” The words stung and it was the first time she had been so forthright about it. It was true, wasn’t it? She  _ did _ hate Gothel. 

Arianna’s eyes glistened and she quietly set down another hard truth. 

“But you did love her. Regardless of how you feel now, at one point in your life, you loved her.” Rapunzel looked away, eyes boring into the porcelain tea cup on the table. Her eyes traced the floral patterns on it while her mind worked. Arianna continued. “She made you think that she was your mother. I can’t fault you for still seeing her like that.”

“I don’t.” Rapunzel replied, voice low and strained. “I- I did. For a while… after. But now I’m just. Empty. And scared.” The truth is complicated and Rapunzel was surprised at how desperately the words left her mouth. “I can’t stop thinking about her.” She forced a laugh. “I keep thinking that she’ll just show up again one day to take me away.” 

Arianna looked concerned now, eyebrows knitted together in a frown. “I thought you said she wasn’t-”

“She isn’t. I meant that- Gothel isn’t a threat anymore she’s…. She’s dead. I… watched her die. There wasn’t anything I could do she just-” A few hot tears fell down her cheeks and she brushed them away angrily. “I don’t know.” 

Arianna went silent, and Rapunzel knew she’d said the wrong thing. Silence, in her experience, was never a good thing. Rapunzel waited for the anger to drop. She expects it. But it never came. 

Instead Arianna takes a deep breath, eyes closed. “I… had no idea.” She said, finally. She opened her eyes, looking Rapunzel square in the face. “I am… Rapunzel I am so sorry that happened to you.” 

It’s Rapunzel’s immediate response to shrug it off but Arianna won’t let her this time. She asks her a question, voice serious. 

“Would you like to give her a grave?” Rapunzel looked up. Millions of questions raced through her head but one stood out amongst the others. 

“Why?” 

Arianna was patient, voice low and kind. “Because I know you loved her, and I know you were never given a proper chance to say goodbye.”

Rapunzel shook her head, ears ringing. She tried to speak but no words came. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Arianna continued. “It doesn’t have to be anything special or grand- even just a simple rock if you want. I just think it might help you come to terms with it. Find some closure.”

_ Gothel screaming, hood pulled over her decaying face before falling out the window- _

“There wouldn’t be anything to- I mean she just sort of... turned to dust.” Rapunzel doesn’t know much about burials but she knows that they usually require something to bury.

Arianna’s lips thinned. Rapunzel could see the questions on her face but knew that she wouldn’t be able to answer them if she asked. Luckily, Arianna didn’t ask.

“We can still make a gravestone.” She said. “Like I said, it doesn’t have to be very grand if you don’t want it to be.” 

Rapunzel couldn't think. It was like her mind was putting up a wall, not letting her process anything.

“Can… Can I think on it?” Arianna was willing to give her all the time she needed.

  
  
  


Two weeks later Rapunzel stood before a fresh gravestone in a secluded part of the forest. Eugene stood next to her, hand in hers while Pascal sat faithfully on her shoulder. Rapunzel’s parents stood behind them, watching silently. 

No words were exchanged during the whole thing, but as soon as the name was etched in stone Rapunzel immediately felt a weight lift off her shoulders. The walls stopped caving in and her hands stopped shaking. 

The fear wasn’t gone, not entirely, but it had faded and would continue to fade as time went on. And for now, that was enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gothel is the worst, but I think that Rapunzel needed some sort of closure from her, especially in those first few months, and so this happened.


	3. Family Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character Focus: Captain of the Guard, Cass  
> Plot: Cass asks her dad about the lost princess  
> Warnings: mentions of kidnapping

Cass was seven when she finally asked her Dad about the lost princess.

She knew some things of course: (The term ‘Lost’ wasn’t just a filler word, after all) she knew that the princess was gone- taken was a word she heard a lot surrounding her- but she didn’t know how or why the princess was taken, or even by whom. She knew that they lit lanterns for her every year... and she knew that half the castle’s staff thought the lost princess was dead.

Cass didn't even know what it was that brought her to ask that day. Maybe it was the fact that the princess’s birthday was tomorrow and all the maids and guards had been whispering amongst themselves all morning. Maybe it was because this was the first year of celebrating that Cass realizes it wasn’t really a celebration.

It was more of a memorial.

Nevertheless, there’s a moment in between Dad’s shifts where he and her were eating lunch when Cass blurted the question.

“Dad, what happened to the lost princess?” Dad froze, midpoint between blowing on his soup and eating it. His spoon fell back into the bowl and he coughed, wiping his face off with a napkin.

He gave a distant, almost angry look, and Cass immediately got the irrational notion that she’d done something wrong. “Sorry.” She mumbled. Dad’s eyes darted her way.

“No, Cass, honey, don’t be.” Dad wasn’t very good with his emotions but at least he tried to make her feel better. “You don’t need to apologize.” He took a deep breath, rubbing at his neck. “That’s just a… tough subject.” He searched her face for a moment trying to find the words.

He’d always acted strange this time of year and that day was no exception. Dad had always been closed off but warm, stern- but kind, only this time of year, around the princess’s birthday, he got more distant and frustrated. He said it was because they still haven’t found her and that of course he wasn’t angry with her, but sometimes Cass couldn’t tell.

“Do you remember that day?” He asked eventually. Cass tried to think back, but found only walls her mind was putting up. She shook her head. Cass didn't know if dad looked sad or relieved.  
Most likely it was a mixture of both.

“Well…” He motioned for her to scoot her chair closer. “The King and Queen had just had a baby- Princess Rapunzel,” He started.

“I know that.” Cass said, sitting up on her knees to be taller. Dad nodded.

“Yes, well, not long after… someone broke into the castle,” The hand that wasn’t wrapped around Cassandra clenched. “And took the princess.” Cass frowned.

“But, who would want to steal a baby?” Baby’s were gross and a hassle. One of the maids had recently had a baby and all it did was slobber over everything and sleep. So why anyone would purposefully want one of those was a mystery to her.

Dad took his time, as if trying to make sure he was saying the right words. “Well… We don’t know for sure who took her,” He admitted, voice strained. He moved a lock of short hair out of her eyes. “But we do know that it was a… very selfish woman. Who didn’t appreciate what she had.”

Cass mulled this over in her head for a bit. It still didn’t make any sense to her, but maybe it wasn’t supposed to. The castle staff always tossed around the word ‘witch’ when talking about the woman who took the princess, and so Cass didn’t feel that bad about not understanding a witch’s intentions because that must mean that she herself wasn’t a witch.

“Oh.” She replied. Another thing occurred to her, more rumors she’d heard, particularly from the other guards. “Dad?”

Dad gave her a tight smile. “Yes?”

“Do you think that Princess Rapunzel is dead?” That seemed to freeze him in his tracks. His grip on her tightened, knuckles turning white from clenching them so hard.

“Who told you that?”

“I heard some of the guards talking about it.” Dad thought long and hard about an answer.

“I think… that we shouldn’t lose hope,” He said. “Which is why we light lanterns every year- so that she’ll find her way back home.” He pulled her into his lap. “Any more tough questions for your old man?” He teased. Cass giggled.

“Nope that’s it.” She put a finger to her chin in thought. “But you know what I’m gonna do now?”

“What?”

Cass jumped up and grabbed one of the wooden swords they gave to the new recruits, and held it up in the air.

“I’m gonna find the lost princess.”

“All on your own, huh?” Dad laughed. Cass’s face fell for a minute in thought before rising again. She waved the sword in the air again.

“ _We’re_ gonna find the lost princess!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
